Coconut Lime Raised Doughnut Recipe

Can I say that you are in for one of the biggest treats ever? Shaina, from Food For My Family, is one of my foodie idols and I cannot believe she is going to be sharing her voice here on MomAdvice as a regular contributor! Her photos are always a delight for the eyes and her whole foods philosophy on a budget is just why I selected her to share with you.

I can count on one hand the number of times we’ve gone out for doughnuts in any given year. It’s a once-in-a-while treat, a special outing. There’s something about walking into a doughnut shop, the bell on the door tinkling after you. In a case behind the glass you find soft fried dough rolled in sugar crystals or glazed with a sparkling gleam, the warm air carried under your nose with the distinct softness of melting sugar and browning dough.

Doughnuts are winter foods, best consumed when frosty air is blowing outside. A doughnut and a cup of coffee or cocoa somehow makes the world feel warmer, the walls lean in a bit tighter to hug you in the center of this pocket of comfort you’ve created.

It was this idea, this contentedness that I chased on a day off school with my kids. Doughnuts are all about waiting and patience, but the payoff at the end is worth every second it takes to get there.

We gathered in the kitchen, all arms and hands and bodies huddled around the mixer, each measuring and dumping one ingredient after another to form the dough, soft and supple. In our hands we worked it before tucking it away as they went to play. Soon it was time for the shaping, and with a special cutter in hand, they each formed the rings and placed them on a baking sheet so we could again wait as they puffed in their warmed-oven home.

When the time came, in a bit of oil we fried each one to a golden perfection, our home instantly mirroring that doughnut shop smell. Small fingers ran through sugar as doughnut holes were rolled until coated. We stirred together glazes and dipped them in before sprinkling them with all manner of pantry goodies, licking the drips from fingertips.

Tips for doughnuts with your kids:

Have them measure and mix.

Teach little arms how to knead.

Rolling balls and cutting doughnuts is a fun and exciting job.

Leave the frying to the big kids and the adults.

Decorating is definitely a kid-approved job.

Eating is a family affair.

These doughnuts are dipped in a lime-kissed glaze and covered in crisp coconut flakes. You can simply roll slightly cooled doughnuts in granulated sugar for a more classic take, or you could get fancy and make filled doughnuts and long johns with this same dough recipe.

Raised doughnuts with a lime-kissed glaze, sprinkled with coconut flakes.

Ingredients

5 tablespoons water

⅓ cup buttermilk, room temperature

1 egg, room temperature

5 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups all-purpose or einkorn flour

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2¼ teaspoons yeast

16 ounces organic palm oil or other oil for frying

1 cup powdered sugar

2-3 teaspoons lime juice

½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes

Instructions

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the water, buttermilk, egg, melted butter, and the vanilla. Beat until well mixed.

Add in the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast, and mix with your hands or using a dough hook on the stand mixer until a soft dough forms. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead 10 - 11 times for the dough to come together.

Return the dough in the bowl and cover with a towel or piece of plastic wrap. Place the bowl in a warm place to rise until the dough is doubled. Cut 20 or so 4-5" squares of parchment paper while you wait.

Once the dough has doubled, remove it from the bowl and roll it to about 1½" thick. Cut 3-4" rings from the dough. Place each ring on a small square of parchment. Place the dough rings on baking sheets and cover loosely. Place doughnuts holes 3-4 on each piece of parchment.

Once all the doughnuts have been cut and covered, let them rise for at least one hour until they have puffed considerably.

In a high-sided, heavy-bottomed pan heat the oil to 350º F. Once the oil is hot, add in the doughnuts, about four at a time. Fry for 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown.

Remove the doughnuts to a baking rack to drain and cool slightly.

In a shallow bowl, mix together the powdered sugar and the lime juice, starting with 2 teaspoons until a thick but still fluid consistency is reached. Dip the top of each doughnut into the glaze. Immediately sprinkle with coconut flakes and allow to set.

Shaina Olmanson is the freelance writer, photographer, and home cook behind Food for My Family.
Cooking daily with and for her four kids and husband, Ole, drives her desire to inspire other families to do the same. She believes life exists in the
small bits and simple moments shared: the way the room brightens with the fresh, bursting scent of citrus being peeled by a small child's hands, exploring
the sidewalk after a hard rain, the sharp tang of minced garlic hitting hot oil in a pan.

Food for My Family has been named one of the Top 100 Mom Food Blogs by Babble.com for the past four years. Shaina is the author of Desserts in Jars: 50 Sweet Treats that Shine,
has served as the food editor for Lifetime Moms, and contributes regularly to a variety of online sites and traditional print magazines. She lives in the
Twin Cities of Minnesota, an urban oasis surrounded by farms and fields of green.